Bernard Pollard unapologetic for latest big hit on Pats

Jan. 21, 2013
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New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard (31) during the first quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In the locker room, players were calling him the "Patriot Killer."

He's also one of the biggest reasons the Baltimore Ravens are going to the Super Bowl. Defensive back Bernard Pollard's helmet-to-helmet strike of Stevan Ridley made the New England Patriots running back go limp as he coughed up a critical fourth quarter fumble.

The hit was the fourth time since 2008 that a Pollard tackle injured a Patriots offensive player.

It all started with a hit (while with the Kansas City Chiefs) that injured Tom Brady's knee and forced him to miss almost a full season. Patriots receiver Wes Welker tore an anterior cruciate ligament on a Pollard tackle in the final game of the 2009 season, and tight end Rob Gronkowski sprained his ankle during a hit by Pollard in last year's AFC Championship.

On Sunday, the Ravens won 28-13, Ridley never came back in the game, and Pollard had no regrets.

"It's just a tackle. It's football," he said, as teammates donned white and purple AFC Champions hats and t-shirts. "He broke a hole and we filled. That's fine. That's football. I hope he's okay. We're competitive in the moment. But when everything calms down you want that guy to be okay."

The hit was within the rules, but it's precisely the kind of collision the NFL would like to get rid of -- players lowering their heads into contact and sustaining concussions.

"That's football," defensive tackle Pernell McPhee said. "The league can say what they want to say and do whatever they want to do. But that's football, man."

None of the other hits was as vicious as Sunday's strike, when ball carrier and tackler lowered their heads, and Pollard delivered the boom. The Ravens say they've been able to get this far with such physical play by knowing when to pick their spots.

"Teams who get penalized for all those things really don't succeed in the end, because it's always a bad call," defensive tackle Terrence Cody said. "I wouldn't call it luck. We just know how to play physical and be smart at the same time. Knowing when it's worth it, when you can do those things and it doesn't hurt you."